Pen Y Fan Climbing Notes

Neville from MALTA writes:

I will be visiting Wales in mid July 2012 and would like to walk to the summit of Pen Y Fan Mountain. I will be accompanied by my wife and two daughters aged 11 and 15 years. We are all novice with regards to mountains however physically fit. Would appreciate details from where to start the walk up the mountain, duration to and from, and the level of difficulty for a family. I will be driving a car and would therefore like to know the best car-park for the vehicle before heading to the mountain.
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<br/>Editor replies: Neville: The easiest route is from the car park at Storey Arms, on the A470 road, about an hour drive north from Cardiff, or 20 minutes south from Brecon. It&#39;s an easy ascent of only 500m or so up a busy track. A return trip would take between 2 and 3 hours. There are alternative routes from the north (starting at lower altitude, much longer, much more impressive, and with fewer people). Another alternative is to climb from the minor road between Merthyr and Talybont-on-Usk (a village that has excellent places to east and drink - notably The Star Inn). Even if there is only a light breeze in the car park, expect strong winds on the Corn-Ddu, Pen Y Fan summit ridge.